The Webinar Vethttp://archive.thewebinarvet.com
Leading the Way in Veterinary EducationThu, 19 Oct 2017 22:27:29 +0000en-GBhourly1http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-Favicon2-32x32.pngThe Webinar Vethttp://archive.thewebinarvet.com
3232TheWebinarVethttps://feedburner.google.comWorld Mental Health Dayhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/3AVYi8HrxPw/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/world-mental-health-day/#respondTue, 10 Oct 2017 10:55:22 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16292Every year, on 10th October, people around the globe highlight one of the most ignored and stigmatised problems facing us today: mental illness. Everybody has a level of mental health, just like we have a level of physical health, and as such everybody is susceptible to mental illness. Globally, more than 300 million people suffer... Read more »

Every year, on 10th October, people around the globe highlight one of the most ignored and stigmatised problems facing us today: mental illness. Everybody has a level of mental health, just like we have a level of physical health, and as such everybody is susceptible to mental illness. Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, and over 260 million are living with anxiety disorders. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire population of North America. And those are just the ones that are recorded. Due to the reluctance many people have about talking about their mental health, the true number is impossible to know.

Despite this, people can often be dismissive of these issues, perceiving mental illness to be a weakness, something that you just “get over”. However, serious mental health issues cannot be simply shrugged off any more than you can walk off a broken leg. The World Health Organisation estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which translates to one death every 40 seconds. It is predicted that by 2020 this will increase to one every 20 seconds. According to statistics collected by the Samaritans, there are over 6,000 suicides in the UK each year alone. Suicide remains the most common cause of death for people under 45 in the developed world.

Men are significantly more likely to die this way than women. This is most likely because of cultural expectations and differences between the genders. Men are more likely to keep their emotions bottled up to avoid being perceived as, for lack of a better word, unmanly. It is more socially acceptable for women to admit to struggling, to being depressed and anxious, and as such they are more likely to seek professional help, or even just informal support from friends and family. This is a clear indication that many deaths could be prevented if we simply reframe our approach to mental health, and stop thinking of depression and anxiety as things to be ashamed of.

World Mental Health Day aims to achieve this by starting a conversation about our approach to mental health. Each year has a particular theme, and this year’s is “mental health in the workplace”. Most of us have to work for a living, and the odds are high that at some point your job is probably going to stress you out (unless your job is getting paid to play with puppies or test out bouncy castles). Daily stresses exist, and you can mostly deal with them by making an extra strong cup of coffee and fuming to a co-worker about just how much work you have to do – doesn’t the boss get that you’re really busy? But there can come a point when, for whatever reason, those stresses start to get on top of you. It’s important to recognise when things are getting too much for you, and it’s equally important to recognise it in your colleagues. If somebody seems to be getting really stressed, is maybe suddenly behaving in an uncharacteristically withdrawn and unengaging manner, that could be a warning sign for you to ask if everything is okay. Workplace stress and depression and anxiety can form a vicious cycle, so it’s important to intervene before it gets worse.

Our Mindfulness course is designed to help you deal with stress as well as mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. These techniques can help ameliorate and ideally prevent the effects of mental illness. Mindfulness is increasingly being used by trained psychotherapists, and recognised for its effectiveness in helping to maintain a high level of mental health. Think of it as going to the gym, but for your mind. Click here to find out more.

Don’t make the mistake of believing mental illness couldn’t affect you. Take steps to guard yourself, and don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need to. Get involved with World Mental Health Day, and together we can help end the stigmatisation around the topic, and improve the lives of millions of people.

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/world-mental-health-day/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/world-mental-health-day/Appetite for Destructionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/aCUm1dSK4Fg/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/appetite-for-destruction/#respondFri, 06 Oct 2017 15:12:33 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16276Lots of things threaten ecological destruction: deforestation, fracking, plastic straws, Charlie Sheen going on an unstoppable feeding rampage. But the thing that is perhaps worse than all others is the meat production industry. Whether it’s the 450,000 square kilometres of the Amazon cut down to make cattle pastures, the enormous amounts of methane pumped into... Read more »

Lots of things threaten ecological destruction: deforestation, fracking, plastic straws, Charlie Sheen going on an unstoppable feeding rampage. But the thing that is perhaps worse than all others is the meat production industry. Whether it’s the 450,000 square kilometres of the Amazon cut down to make cattle pastures, the enormous amounts of methane pumped into the atmosphere, or the huge quantities of manure that poisons the local ecosystems it’s dumped in, mass farming is a terrible problem for the world. This is only set to get worse, as many countries which recently comprised poor populations living on a frugal diet have now become wealthier, and want to buy meat. Turns out even global poverty has a silver lining.

One perhaps underestimated issue is how the livestock are fed. The main feed used is soy, which is not inherently destructive but is produced in such huge quantities that it is perpetrating a minor ecocide of its own. According to a recent report by the World Wildlife Fund, dramatically titled “Appetite for Destruction”, the British livestock industry needs an area the size of Yorkshire to produce the soy used in feed. Most of this land is not cultivated in the UK, but in places like the Amazon, Cerrado, Congo Basin, Yangtze, Mekong, Himalayas and the Deccan Plateau forests, where a rich tapestry of wildlife is being annihilated. Most shockingly, the UK food supply alone can be linked to the extinction of 33 species around the world. A staggering 60% of global biodiversity loss is due to food production.

If this wasn’t enough of a problem, the current feeding method is actually making our food less nutritious. The synthetic nature of the livestock’s diet is producing animals which are deficient in omega-3, and overly packed with unhealthy fat. Ironically, if people just ate the soy that is fed to the livestock, they’d probably get more nutritional value. According to the report, “One study shows the difference is so profound that you’d have to eat six intensively reared chickens today to obtain the same amount of the healthy omega-3 fatty acid found in just one chicken in the 1970s. The majority of calories from chicken come from fat as opposed to protein.”

This is particularly bad, as there are already 23 billion poultry on the planet, or more than 3 for every human being. The world can’t sustain another 20 billion on top of that. This report also comes on the back of an exposé of terrible standards at 2 Sisters Food group, the UK’s largest supplier of supermarket chicken, where reports of kill dates were altered, unsold meat was repackaged, old meat was mixed with new, and basic hygiene was neglected. If the argument for eating meat is that humans are naturally omnivores and require it as part of a healthy diet, the way we are producing our meat is defeating that point entirely. Eating this meat will probably cause you catastrophic indigestion and muscular atrophy.

Fortunately, all is not lost. There are innovations in the production of feed that could potentially limit the grievous impact on the environment. The report lays it out, which is worth quoting in full:

“Microalgae and macroalgae (or seaweed) are one promising alternative. Algal growth is relatively straightforward, as they only need a basic form of energy (such as light and sugars), CO2, water and a few inorganic nutrients to grow. Trials to date have shown positive impacts on both livestock nutrition and aquatic environments. Another example is integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), a synergistic approach to aquatic production which uses the waste products from one species to provide feed or fertiliser for another. This approach has potential benefits in terms of improving the final yield of both species with less waste and improved environmental and economic performance.

Using flies, crickets and other insects as food and feed for livestock could also reduce the mounting pressure on land and biodiversity. Insects can produce the same amount of edible protein as soy and animal products, with less land, lower greenhouse gas emissions and similar amounts of energy. Trials have shown that piglets’ gut health improved when their feed was supplemented with insect protein, while chickens fed on insect protein performed as well as those given current commercial feeds; research also shows that insect meal could replace up to 50% of fish feed without affecting animal performance.”

The way we produce our food has radically altered both the natural world and human society, and our own biology to a certain extent. We have managed to solve the problem that plagued mankind for thousands of years: scarcity. It is easy to take it for granted that we can produce enough food, but that has only been the case for less than 200 years. Between 108 BC and 1911 AD, China suffered 1828 famines, nearly one a year, killing hundreds of millions of people. In 1958, Mao introduced the “Four Pests” campaigns, where he encouraged citizens to kill pests that were causing problems, being mosquitos, rodents, flies, and sparrows. The sparrows were targeted because they ate grains that the farmers planted, resulting in a reduced crop growth. However, it was soon realised that the sparrows didn’t just eat grains; they also ate locusts. With the sparrows nearly exterminated, the locust population ballooned, and wiped out ten times the amount of crops that the sparrows had. This led to the Great Chinese Famine, which killed between 20 and 45 million people. It’s hard to know exactly how many because the government covered it up.

These days, famine is relegated to third world countries, due to advances in farming practices. We are no longer slaves to weather patterns and clouds of locusts. It’s easy to forget that it was relatively recent in history that this was not the case. There were 95 famines in Britain during the Middle Ages. In 1816 the “Year Without a Summer”, a strange climate event which caused – well, it’s in the name – led to widespread food shortages across the entire Northern Hemisphere, and totalled around 200,000 starvation deaths across Europe. Between 1878–80, over a thousand people died due to a famine in Alaska, the most recent major famine in the USA. To put that into perspective, it was only 90 years later than the USA landed a man on the Moon. The rapid advancement of industrial farming has been crucial in fighting one of the most serious problems civilisation has ever faced. However, it has caused a whole set of new ones instead. As can be seen from the story of the sparrow in China, ecological disaster can arise from far less damage than what is being done every day across the world in the name of food production. Hopefully, we can innovate our way to a more sustainable system, before we cook up a recipe for disaster.

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/appetite-for-destruction/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/appetite-for-destruction/VC Bites – Your Feedbackhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/bPTRA4K5YkE/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-feedback/#respondFri, 06 Oct 2017 14:21:11 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16270‘I moved to Malawi in January 2017 to run a veterinary clinic in Blantyre and also to manage a rabies vaccination program for Mission Rabies. I have been working abroad for years, helping animal welfare charities all over the world and it’s easy to feel alone and disconnected from colleagues when you end up working... Read more »

‘I moved to Malawi in January 2017 to run a veterinary clinic in Blantyre and also to manage a rabies vaccination program for Mission Rabies. I have been working abroad for years, helping animal welfare charities all over the world and it’s easy to feel alone and disconnected from colleagues when you end up working by yourself most of the time. I really enjoyed being able to join the virtual congress as I felt as part of a global community of vets and it was great to follow interesting presentations in front of my laptop in Malawi! While listening to a neurology lecture the question was asked from where people are listening to and I typed ‘Blantyre, Malawi’. Straight away an Indian colleague I used to work with several times on projects sent me a message asking if I was the person listening from Malawi and told me that he was also online, as was a a Dutch friend, working with wildlife in Zambia back then.

It seemed like the congress connected me with so many of my colleagues all over the world! It was a brilliant way of keeping up to date with latest developments in veterinary medicine for people like me to choose not to life a ‘normal life’, in which it would be much easier to attend regular CPD meetings and conferences.

I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next virtual congress!’

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-feedback/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-feedback/Celebrating World Animal Dayhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/6WwpEe-0xsc/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/celebrating-world-animal-day/#respondWed, 04 Oct 2017 08:10:10 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16256Today is World Animal Day, which is celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. This is the mother of all animal welfare awareness days, where people unite to improve the wellbeing of animals around the globe. We’re getting involved in our own style, by offering... Read more »

Today is World Animal Day, which is celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. This is the mother of all animal welfare awareness days, where people unite to improve the wellbeing of animals around the globe. We’re getting involved in our own style, by offering 50% off any Expertise Series starting today (Wednesday) and finishing Thursday at 4pm. Yes, you read that right! Any Expertise Series you want, half price! Choose from Endocrinology to Ophthalmology to a whole host of other topics in our extensive range*. Get as many as you want! Simply call Dawn on 0151 556 2859 to receive your discount or email dawn@thewebinarvet.com to receive your discount code.

Why not get involved with World Animal Day yourself? Even sharing a post on social media could help draw attention to animal welfare across the world. Other events going on include shelter open days and pet adoption events, conferences and workshops, fundraisers, school events, spay and neuter marathons and veterinary treatment camps, vaccination drives, and peaceful protest marches to either raise awareness of a specific animal welfare issue or to encourage governments to introduce animal protection legislation.

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/celebrating-world-animal-day/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/celebrating-world-animal-day/The Links Veterinary Training Initiativehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/AVQocHn1-6w/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/links-veterinary-training-initiative/#respondMon, 02 Oct 2017 14:50:52 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16243Did you know there are common factors between abuse of animals, children and vulnerable adults? It you want to learn the ways to spot the signs, and understand how people in different professions working together can help prevent further abuse, you might be interested in the Links Veterinary Training Initiative. There is an established link... Read more »

]]>Did you know there are common factors between abuse of animals, children and vulnerable adults? It you want to learn the ways to spot the signs, and understand how people in different professions working together can help prevent further abuse, you might be interested in the Links Veterinary Training Initiative.

There is an established link between abuse of animals and abuse of humans. When an animal has been abused, there is a high risk that the perpetrator also has, or will, abuse a person. In some cases, a child who abuses animals may be doing so due to abuse at home, and sustained animal cruelty in childhood is often linked with violent crimes in adulthood. If nothing is done, this cycle of abuse can continue for years, enveloping more and more victims. Despite this, there is rarely any coordination between different professions when an abuse case comes up. Understanding the interconnection between cases could help save humans and animals from violence and mistreatment.

This Wednesday, 4th October, the Links Group is holding The Links Veterinary Training Initiative in Cardiff. This aims to educate people in the veterinary profession to understand the patterns of abuse and learn to recognise when a case of animal abuse may be indicative of a wider circle of violence. The event will host speakers from the Links Group, North Wales Police, Welsh Women’s Aid, Dogs Trust and RSPCA.

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/links-veterinary-training-initiative/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/links-veterinary-training-initiative/A Clear Round for the BEVA Congresshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/jeivLSq6f5c/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/clear-round-beva-congress/#respondTue, 26 Sep 2017 08:44:34 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16213Let’s face it, I get around! During the last 15 months since I started working at The Webinar Vet, I’ve been to a fair few conferences! I love attending lectures to refresh my knowledge, hear what’s new, catch up with people and make new friends. I found the BEVA Congress to be very well organised... Read more »

During the last 15 months since I started working at The Webinar Vet, I’ve been to a fair few conferences! I love attending lectures to refresh my knowledge, hear what’s new, catch up with people and make new friends. I found the BEVA Congress to be very well organised with a jam-packed programme on interesting topics, good food, ample cups of tea and a friendly atmosphere which was great for me because I feel out of my depth in the horsey world having not carried out any equine work since I was a new grad in mixed practice. I had a smile on my face right from the start of the congress as I was met by Stevie the beaver who was the official mascot for the congress.

I would like to say that even though I have attended many amazing keynote sessions, none of them have been quite like the keynote presentation from Derek Knottenbelt. Derek’s theme for his presentation was ‘A long and winding road’. Notable events from the past, present and what we might expect in the future were discussed using some examples from dentistry, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery, headshaking, laminitis and diagnostic imaging. Derek outlined the tremendous work carried out by the Vets with Horsepower who have completed bike tours providing education to help improve animal welfare in several countries. Derek’s passion for improving the welfare of horses and knowledge transfer to empower people was unquestionable. The take home message from Derek’s presentation was to keep an open mind, use evidence and question everything which culminated with a standing ovation and I was struggling to hold back the tears after viewing such passion.

Derm Glorious Derm

I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous equine dermatology session with Marianne Sloet, Yvonne Elce and Edd Knowles. Marianne spoke on how to approach skin cases, chronic progressive lymphoedema (CPL) and distal limb skin problems. Marianne presented a case of CPL and discussed how these cases often start with chorioptic mange, don’t usually show any signs of lameness, typically have secondary infections and hindlimbs tend to be worse. The prognosis for CPL is poor but in terms of treatment, clipping the feathers (ask for permission first!) and combined decongestive therapy to improve lymph drainage were suggested alongside keeping on top of any secondary infections and chorioptic mite infestations. Yvonne provided a presentation on exuberant granulation tissue and included methods to prevent it such as providing adequate drainage, removing exudate, consider the use of topical medications such as honey (Yvonne’s personal favourite) or silicone dressings, avoid caustic topicals like wound powder and consider the use of bandages (there are pros and cons with these so if you do use them, Yvonne advises to take them off intermittently and removes the bandages in the early stages) and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). However, there are limited data for use of NPWT so watch this space! Edd Knowles discussed a critically appraised topic on the risk of using corticosteroids causing laminitis. After carefully reviewing the relevant papers in this area, the overall conclusion was that use of corticosteroids in adult healthy horses does not indicate significant risk when using UK prescribing practices. This was a very popular session with people joining for the latter presentations were provided with standing room only (not a problem as far as webinars are concerned 😉 #justsaying!)

Delightful Debbie!

You may have guessed from the subheading that I am a fan of Debbie Archer! I really enjoyed her presentations when I was studying at Liverpool and I still do! I did feel a bit guilty at the start of her presentation though because back in the day when I was horsey, there was a horse in a neighbouring stable that was a ‘wind-sucker’ and I did refer to it as a vice. Debbie informed the audience that it shouldn’t be referred to as a vice because it implies that it is a deliberate act of bad behaviour which of course it isn’t and is an example of an oral form of stereotypic behaviour to cope with their environment. I was interested to learn about the risk factors associated with crib-biting and windsucking which include foals fed concentrates at weaning and stall confinement post-weaning. The effects on health and welfare of these stereotypic behaviours include an increased risk of colic, gastric ulcers, neurological disease due to temporohyoid osteoarthropathy and difficulties maintaining/gaining weight. Practical recommendations for horse owners in terms of husbandry changes that can be implemented to improve the welfare of these horses were provided at the end of Debbie’s presentation and include: increase the amount of time the horses are fed on roughage (using haynets with small holes/double haynets can help), maximise the turnout time, do not isolate them (there’s no evidence to support that it is a learnt behaviour) and straw bedding is recommended unless the horse or pony has a penchant for eating straw.

An Orthopaedic Hoof to Hoof!

Two orthopaedic specialists had a friendly ‘head to head’ (or ‘hoof to hoof’!) when they put forward their justifications for their preference for objective or subjective lameness assessments. Michael Schramme believes that objective measurements are superior to a subjective assessment of lameness because it eliminates bias and provides a range of data that can be recorded such as, if the lameness is related to impact or push-off, the results of flexion tests can be measured more accurately and changes in lameness grades can be quantified. Michael uses body-mounted inertial sensors to detect lameness which was one of the first points of concern from Sue Dyson because use of such technology relies on accurate placement of the sensors. Sue also discussed that there are many visual observations of lameness that have currently not been measured objectively when the horse is being ridden and this information shouldn’t be discounted when assessing lameness. I think that both speakers provided great presentations but I guess there are pros and cons of most things! Yep, I’m well and truly on the fence! What do you think?

Whilst we are on the subject of technology just as a final note, I’d like to say that the BEVA app was great last year but it was even better this year! I really liked using it for poll questions during some of the interactive presentations but I do like my poll questions! 😊 Thank you very much!

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/clear-round-beva-congress/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/clear-round-beva-congress/So you’ve been stuffed and publicly displayedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/RY6C96zc5ok/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/youve-stuffed-publicly-displayed/#respondThu, 21 Sep 2017 15:06:49 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16190“Seems to me taxidermy is a promising third course to burial or cremation. You could keep all your dear ones by you.” HG Wells, Triumphs of a Taxidermist (1894) In 1831, in the African interior north of Cape Town, Jules Verreaux, a French botanist, ornithologist, and collector of natural history specimens, was eyeing up... Read more »

“Seems to me taxidermy is a promising third course to burial or cremation. You could keep all your dear ones by you.”

HG Wells, Triumphs of a Taxidermist (1894)

In 1831, in the African interior north of Cape Town, Jules Verreaux, a French botanist, ornithologist, and collector of natural history specimens, was eyeing up his latest addition to his collection. Trading exotic animal remains was not a particularly unusual occupation at that time, but the object of Verreaux’s intent was far from usual. Earlier that day, he had witnessed the burial of a Tswana warrior, a young man aged about 27 who had died for reasons history does not record. In an act that reached the apogee of ghoulishness and insensitivity, Verreaux returned at night to dig up the body and steal the skin, the skull and a few bones. With the help of metal wire acting as a spine, wooden boards as shoulder blades, and stuffed with newspapers, Verreaux preserved the body, then shipped it to Paris, along with a batch of stuffed animals in crates, to be exhibited in a showroom in Paris. This was an era of scientific racism, (and I mean real racism, not “Baa Baa Black Sheep is racist!” racism), and some biologists classified non-white people as fauna, with some “human zoos” even being opened. To people in Paris, most of whom would have never even seen a non-white person, the stuffed body of an African pygmy, adorned with his tribal clothing and spear, was simply another curiosity to come out of the Western incursions into Africa, fitting into the growing mythos of empire building and exotic lands.

In 1916 the body found its way to a museum in Banyoles, a small city in Spain. It remained there on public display without controversy until 1991, when a doctor of African descent petitioned the museum to have it removed. Nonetheless, it took seven years for the Negro of Banyoles, as it had become known (because people who keep stuffed humans on display don’t really care about PC language), to be removed. In 2000, the body was sent to be given a proper burial in Botswana, 179 years after it had first been displayed.

A few months ago, I visited Bristol Museum. It has a good selection of exhibits, but one thing that has stuck in my mind is the natural history specimens, including a rhino, a hippo, and the extinct Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine). It also has a stuffed gorilla, Alfred, who lived at the local zoo until his natural death, and was donated to the museum. The most striking exhibit to my memory was the Bengal tiger that was personally shot by King George V in 1911 in Chitawan, Nepal. I know George shot it because this information is emblazoned in gold cursive letters on the mahogany frame of its display case, with a backdrop of the hunting party riding elephants. The tiger is mounted in a threatening pose, teeth bared, crouched as if ready to pounce. It’s a striking sight to see. If you’re thinking “well I’m glad you had a good time, but I didn’t come here for TripAdvisor”, don’t worry, I’m going somewhere with this. Adjacent to the exhibits is a sign acknowledging that some people have complained about this, believing it is unethical to continue displaying these specimens, the tiger specifically, given the way in which it was acquired.

It’s not the only place where these concerns have been raised. The entrance hall to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington is dominated by a large bull elephant, known as The Fenykovi Elephant, after the man who shot it in 1957. Being named after his own murderer has been just one of several indignities for this animal. In the past, during Christmas, the elephant was decorated by the women’s committee of the Smithsonian Associates; he has had helium-filled balloons tied to his trunk and tail, worn a cardboard “Barbar the Elephant” crown, and pulled a sleigh like Rudolf the Long-Nosed Reindeer. These days, the museum curators are more sensitive to the unpleasant history behind this iconic exhibit, but it doesn’t alter the fact that the museum is populated by preserved bodies of animals that were shot. There is even a white rhino, of which now only three living animals remain, that was personally killed by president Theodore Roosevelt. This was of course a different time, and going hunting was just another hobby. For some people it still is, but the majority opinion these days is that recreational hunting is unethical, particularly of animals like tigers. It’s hard to judge history by current standards, and in many ways it’s pointless to try, but are we being insensitive by continuing to display the preserved remains of these animals, perpetuating a final indignity a century after their death?

One of the most ironic things is that much of this hunting was done with the specific intent of educating people on the need for conservation. Teddy Roosevelt was a noted naturalist who set aside more federal land, national parks, and nature preserves than all of his predecessors combined. However, he held the belief that man was very much at the top of the food chain, and recreational hunting was an acceptable sport. Roosevelt played a part in the schism in the American naturalist movement in the late nineteenth century, with one group terming themselves “conservationists” and the other “preservationists”. The conservationists’ aim was “to make the forest produce the largest amount of whatever crop or service will be most useful, and keep on producing it for generation after generation of men and trees”, in contrast to preservationists like John Muir and Henry David Thoreau who took a more transcendental approach to nature’s value, considering it to have inherent worth, a literal form of natural rights.

Roosevelt wasn’t the only one to have an apparently contradictory approach to wildlife preservation. The National Collection of Heads and Horns at the Bronx Zoo was conceived in the early twentieth century by its first director, William T. Hornaday (never has anybody been so aptly named). A noted zoologist and conservationist, Hornaday had been instrumental in saving the American bison, whose population dropped from over 60 million in 1800 to just 300 living animals in 1900. Thanks to Hornaday’s efforts, the buffalo is no longer on the threatened list. However, Hornaday’s enthusiasm for collecting the heads of elephants, rhinos and other exotic animals seems somewhat at odds with his stated goal. By the 1940s, the collection contained more than 2,000 heads, horns, skins and other mounted objects, and was dedicated “in memory of the vanishing big game of the world”, which feels a bit like setting up a landmine factory and donating the profits to the limbless children of Africa. Attitudes shifted as time moved on, and the focus of conservation began to focus more clearly on animal welfare. In 1978, the National Collection of Heads and Horns was closed after increasing numbers of people began to complain that it was inappropriate and hypocritical for an organisation now dedicated to opposing hunting to display animal trophies. In an interesting twist, the collection was sold to the Boone and Crocket Club, which was founded by a group of big-game hunters, including Theodore Roosevelt, in 1887 with the purpose of preserving wildlife and habitats for future hunters.

Again, those were different times, and what was acceptable then now seems quite dubious. We can’t undo the past, but we can think about how we treat these remains. Does the history of a museum exhibit affect how we should perceive it today? Knowing what we do now about elephant intelligence, being capable of grief, learning, mimicry, play, altruism, use of tools, compassion, cooperation, self-awareness, memory, and communication, do we need to re-evaluate the ethics of keeping an elephant’s body on display as a visitor attraction? As we move further towards granting great apes personhood, will museum displays of stuffed animals become as offensive as a stuffed human?

Perhaps we should consider how our approach to human remains has also changed. Jeremy Bentham, founder of utilitarianism, requested that his body be preserved and displayed in what he called an “auto-icon”, and was put on display in 1850 at University College London. The embalming process went wrong, so Bentham’s head was removed and placed between his feet (because apparently that’s less creepy), then his skeleton was dressed in his own clothes and adorned with a wax replica of his head. The head became a repeated target for student pranks, on one occasion reportedly being stolen and used as a goal post during a football match. However, in 2005 it was decided that it was inappropriate to put the head on public display, and it was relocated to the Conservation Safe in the Institute of Archaeology. Since then, permission to view has been granted only in exceptional circumstances by the curator of the College Collections.

In certain contexts, we do still accept human remains being exhibited. Many museums display mummies from Ancient Egypt, which is largely uncontroversial. However, mummies are presented as historical artefacts, an interesting insight into a culture long passed. The Negro of Banyoles was different, because it was presented as a trophy, something for people to gawk at. It was inherently disrespectful, a manifestation of power by one group over another. In a similar way, animals which are stuffed and put in a museum are totems of humanity’s dominance and frequent disdain for nature. However, they can still serve a purpose. Much in the same way that the piles of skulls in the Cambodian Killing Fields stand as a stark reminder of a terrible part of history, these exhibits can be re-contextualised to be a lesson about the legacy of cruelty inflicted upon animals in the past. They are no longer much use as naturalist specimens – people can see tigers in zoos, or in HD on television programmes narrated by David Attenborough. But they can help us remember the importance of conservation – just not in the way Teddy Roosevelt believed.

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/youve-stuffed-publicly-displayed/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/youve-stuffed-publicly-displayed/VC Bites: Are you ready for the VC Challenge?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/BdskOKRwM4Q/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-ready-vc-challenge/#commentsThu, 21 Sep 2017 11:29:53 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16185So, Virtual Congress is rapidly approaching, and we thought that now would be a good time to introduce the VC2018 Challenge. What’s that, you say? You like challenges, but you would prefer if it involved some kind of charitable element? Well, do we have some good news for you! By participating in the VC Challenge,... Read more »

So, Virtual Congress is rapidly approaching, and we thought that now would be a good time to introduce the VC2018 Challenge.

What’s that, you say? You like challenges, but you would prefer if it involved some kind of charitable element? Well, do we have some good news for you! By participating in the VC Challenge, you will become part of an international movement to help vets around the world.

How it works is very simple: for every VC ticket we sell, we donate a free one to a vet from a developing country, in conjunction with the Worldwide Veterinary Service. If you don’t know what WVS is, think of it as being Doctors Without Borders for animals. From dog shelters in Thailand to elephant orphanages in Zambia, WVS are in action worldwide, running sterilisation and vaccination programmes, sending veterinary supplies out to animals in need as well as providing a fast action emergency response.

Last year we gave away a huge number of free tickets for our Virtual Congress as part of our one4one initiative. This year, we are hoping to do even better! With the VC Challenge, we are hoping to set a new record for free ticket giveaways to vets whose socioeconomic conditions mean they may find doing CPD too expensive.

One maxim in business is that if you’re good at something, never do it for free. We disagree. While we do of course aim to make our business grow, we are equally invested in helping the veterinary community, even at our own financial cost. Giving away over a thousand free tickets is perhaps not the most fiscally savvy move we could make, but we have never doubted our choice to do so. It is important to us to help the international veterinary community in any way we can, and we take great pleasure in helping to bring vets across the world together to exchange ideas and information. With your help, we can open up a new world of possibility to vets who otherwise would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to get easy and affordable continuing professional development. You might get annoyed by having to take the train to the next city for a seminar, but spare a thought for a vet in India who has to travel thousands of miles and pay a punishing amount of money just so they can continue caring for animals.

Help make a difference to the lives of vets around the world. Encourage your colleagues to join our VC Challenge and together we will bring a positive change to those less fortunate than us. We’re proud of our rapidly expanding international community, and we’re glad to have you as a part of it. We hope to see you at Virtual Congress 2018!

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-ready-vc-challenge/feed/2http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/vc-bites-ready-vc-challenge/The Adventures of Larry and Barryhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/caFBL89IOF8/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/adventures-larry-barry/#respondTue, 12 Sep 2017 14:44:38 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16134The post The Adventures of Larry and Barry appeared first on The Webinar Vet.
]]>

]]>http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/adventures-larry-barry/feed/0http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/adventures-larry-barry/The Ease and Difficulty of Canine Epilepsyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWebinarVet/~3/DRvs5ZUanAA/
http://archive.thewebinarvet.com/ease-difficulty-canine-epilepsy/#respondTue, 12 Sep 2017 12:08:40 +0000https://www.thewebinarvet.com/?p=16128The prevalence of epilepsy within the general canine population sits at 0.6-0.75% which means out of every 130 dogs we see in general practice, one will suffer from epilepsy. This statistic was delivered by RCVS and European specialist in Veterinary Neurology, Elsa Beltran and if I’m being honest my initial reaction to this information was that... Read more »

The prevalence of epilepsy within the general canine population sits at 0.6-0.75% which means out of every 130 dogs we see in general practice, one will suffer from epilepsy. This statistic was delivered by RCVS and European specialist in Veterinary Neurology, Elsa Beltran and if I’m being honest my initial reaction to this information was that of surprise. My experience as a vet tells me that I encounter more of these cases in general practice so either my gut reaction is wrong or is it possible I could be over diagnosing this condition? Could this really be the case? In reality, how difficult is it to identify a seizure in a dog which occurs more than once with no obvious underlying cause. Last week’s webinar led by Elsa helped to answer some of these questions, pointing out that other conditions can easily mimic seizure like activity and not every dog which has more than one seizure, will be an epileptic.

Paroxysmal dyskinesia (aka Epileptic Cramping Syndrome) was one of the ‘seizure mimicking’ conditions discussed by Elsa and after watching videos of these animals suffering from collapsing episodes I can understand why this condition could easily be mistaken for epilepsy. There are of course differences in clinical signs between the two conditions but these are only likely to be spotted if you know what to look for. Dogs suffering from Epileptic Cramping Syndrome are often conscious during their episodes which are frequently triggered by stress and excitement. They typically last for 10-20 minutes (unusually long for an epileptic seizure) and usually recover instantly unlike true epileptics who usually go through a post-ictal phase culminating in confusion and odd behaviour. Elsa explained alarm bells should also ring when cases don’t respond to the usual medical treatment such as phenobarbitone. Although these cases can be difficult to diagnose as they are usually normal on complete physical and neurological examination, they should be easier to spot by watching owners’ video footage where the subtle differences between the ‘seizuring’ and ‘cramping’ patient can hopefully be detected. Interestingly, Elsa also explained that dogs suffering from Epileptic Cramping Syndrome tend to respond well to a hypoallergenic and/or gluten free diet.

Elsa also used video footage to demonstrate the classification of seizures including generalised and focal seizures and wen­t on to define canine epilepsy as a condition in which a dog has two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart. Once epilepsy is suspected a diagnostic work up should be performed and must include a full blood panel, urinalysis and an ‘inter-ictal’ neurological examination. Further diagnostics may also be necessary but Elsa advised these are only indicated if there is:

1. An abnormal inter-ictal neurological examination

Seizures starting outside six months to six-year age range

Abnormal inter-ictal behaviour

Loss of learned behaviour such as loss of toilet training

Circling / pacing

Visual impairment

Does not respond to appropriate anti-epileptic drugs

Another common question asked by vets and owners alike is when to consider starting medication in the epileptic patient. Elsa once again delivered a set of criteria to stand by when making this decision and are as follows:

If a patient has very severe seizures

If a patient has more than or equal to two seizures over a period of six months

If the seizures are becoming more frequent or more severe

If an underlying progressive disorder has been identified as the cause of seizures

If the post-ictal signs are objectionable (e.g. aggressive)

Elsa also offered excellent advice on the management of patients presenting in status epilepticus and strongly recommended compiling a seizure plan which can be used as a template for every patient in status epilepticus. This should include always ruling out hypoglycaemia and hypocalcaemia in every patient and also listing the drugs to be utilised and the order in which they should be given. Rectal and/or intravenous diazepam is usually the initial drug of choice but Elsa stated that some studies have indicated that intranasal midazolam offers a quick and safe alternative which appears to be superior to the effects of intra-rectal diazepam. If a patient is non-responsive to diazepam/midazolam, then phenobarbitone offers a good addition but it is important to remember it can take 20-30 minutes to take effect and doses may vary according to whether a dog is already under treatment with phenobarbitone and whether a patient’s serum phenobarbitone level is within range. Elsa listed further drugs which could also be useful including levetiracetam and potassium bromide alongside more aggressive therapies such as propofol and inhalational agents. Appropriate doses for the mainstay of drugs utilised and discussed within this blog are all stated within Elsa’s webinar.

Elsa ended this webinar by discussing the long-term treatment of canine epilepsy and stressed that often these cases are successfully treated with one medication as long as it is used appropriately and explained it is not uncommon for her to see uncontrolled epileptics on a combination of drugs, none of which are being used correctly. For example, if serum phenobarbitone levels are not checked frequently enough in patients and are not kept within 20-35mg/l, then poor control or hepatotoxicity could be a significant complication.

Quite how Elsa delivered the amount of information she has within the space of this webinar is a little beyond me but she did so in an engaging and practice relevant manner utilising video footage wherever relevant. This is a webinar appropriate to all in small animal practice and I know it will act as a really useful reference point for when I sit down with my colleagues and compile the brilliant idea of a seizure plan!